(Headline USA) Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, despite being fully vaccinated, his office said.
“Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms,” spokesman Mark Miner said a statement.
The positive tests comes a day after Abbott tweeted a picture of himself not wearing a mask while speaking indoors near Dallas to a group of Republicans, most of whom were unmasked.
Another standing room only event in Collin County tonight.
Thank y’all for the enthusiastic reception.
Let’s keep this energy up and send a message that Texas values are NOT up for grabs in 2022. pic.twitter.com/wlPZyrHpx3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 17, 2021
“Everyone that the Governor has been in close contact with today has been notified,” Minor said. “Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative.”
Abbott, who was vaccinated in 2020, was isolating in the governor’s mansion in Austin and receiving the monoclonal antibody treatment Regeneron, Miner said.
“The Governor has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” said the statement. “Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads, and government officials to ensure that state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently.”
The governor is the latest Texan to test positive as cases of the virus soar and hospitals around the state are stretched thin.
More than 11,500 patients were hospitalized with the virus as of Monday, the highest levels since January.
But despite efforts from partisan Democrats to blame Republicans, statistics show that 52% of all Texas cases come from Hispanic individuals—many of whom only recently arrived after flooding across the border.
Despite the concern over the spread of the pandemic—including the new delta variant—President Joe Biden and his administration have steadfastly refused to rein in the immigrant problem.
Abbott has pushed back, implementing his own policies for border enforcement while also shoring up state protections against controversial mask and vaccine mandates.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
